Arizona drew another afternoon game for next season, when Illinois announced Tuesday its Dec. 11 game with the Wildcats will start at 4 p.m. CT and 3 p.m. Arizona time.
The game, which is a return of Illinois' appearance at McKale Center early in the 2019-20 season,ย will be carried on Fox. It was scheduled to be played in Champaign last season but both sides agreed to move it to 2021-22 because of COVID issues.
Arizona received 62 total points from then-freshmen Nico Mannion (23), Josh Green (20) and Zeke Nnaji (19) in its 90-69 win over the Illini on Nov. 11, 2019, which turned out to be one of the Wildcats' biggest wins that season.
Illinois junior 7-footer Kofi Cockburn, now a contender for player of the year, had nine points and seven rebounds in that game as a freshman.
Overall this season, the Wildcats will play 10 games that start at 4 p.m. or earlier,ย ย though at least seven of the Wildcats' games will tip off at 8 p.m. or later, including three at 9 p.m.
Here's the entire schedule to date. Home games in ALL CAPS:
Oct. 2: RED-BLUE GAME, 3 p.m. (Pac-12 Arizona)
Oct. 23: Saint Mary's, at Phoenix (closed scrimmage)
Nov. 1: EASTERN NEW MEXICO (exhibition), 7 p.m., Pac-12 Networks
Nov. 9: NAU, 8:30 p.m. (Pac-12 Arizona)
Nov 12: UTRGV, 7 p.m. (Pac-12 Arizona)
Nov. 16: NORTH DAKOTA STATE (MGM Main Event), 7 p.m. (Pac-12 Arizona)
Nov. 19: Wichita State (MGM Main Event), 8 p.m. (ESPNU)
Nov. 21: Michigan or UNLV (MGM Main Event), 7:30 p.m or 10 p.m. (ESPN or ESPN2)
Nov. 27: SACRAMENTO STATE, 5:30 p.m. (Pac-12 Arizona)
Dec. 2: WASHINGTON, 6:30 p.m. (Pac-12 Arizona)
Dec. 5: at Oregon State, 2 p.m. (ESPNU)
Dec. 8: WYOMING, 8 p.m. (Pac-12 Networks)
Dec. 11: at Illinois, 3 p.m. (Fox)
Dec. 15: NORTHERN COLORADO, 7 p.m. (Pac-12 Arizona)
Dec. 18: CAL BAPTIST, 4 p.m. (Pac-12 Arizona)ย
Dec. 22: at Tennessee, 5 p.m. (ESPN2)
Dec. 30: at UCLA, 7 p.m. (ESPN2)
Jan. 2: at USC, 3 p.m. (ESPN or ESPN2)
Jan. 8: at ASU, 12 p.m. or 2 p.m. (Fox Sports 1)
Jan. 13: COLORADO, 9 p.m. (Fox Sports 1)
Jan. 20: at Stanford, 9 p.m. (ESPNU)
Jan. 23: at Cal, 1 p.m. (Pac-12 Arizona)
Jan. 29: ASU, 12:30 p.m. (Ch. 13)
Feb. 3: UCLA, 6 p.m. or 7 p.m. (ESPN)
Feb. 5: USC, 3 p.m (Ch. 11)
Feb. 10: at Washington State, 7 p.m. (Fox Sports 1)
Feb. 12: at Washington, 4 p.m. (Pac-12 Arizona)
Feb. 17: OREGON STATE, 5:30 p.m. (Pac-12 Arizona)
Feb. 19: OREGON, 8 p.m. (ESPN or ESPN2)
Feb. 24: at Utah, 9 p.m. (Fox Sports 1)
Feb. 26: at Colorado, 6 p.m. or 8 p.m. (ESPN2 or ESPNU)
March 3: STANFORD, 7 p.m. (ESPN2 or ESPNU)
March 5: CAL, 3 p.m. (Pac-12 Arizona)
March 9-12: Pac-12 Tournament, Las Vegas (Pac-12 Networks, Fox Sports 1 and Ch. 11)
